Adventures in the Imperial Republic
by AndrewCuthbert
Summary: A short story heavily influenced by the Freelancer universe
1. Chapter 1 Introduction

Adventures in the Imperium

A short story

Chapter 1 - Introduction 

Vykk Dreygo looked up from the status panel on the bridge of his starship, the 'Swift Thunder'. He had only had the smallish freighter/trader for a few days and she was sheer beauty in motion. The young Human trader (and occasionally freelancer) allowed himself to reminisce whilst he ran another scan on the ship's systems.

Tall and thin, with youthful, ruggedly handsome features, Vykk had been born on a poor backwater colony of the Imperium, a dry, dull, thoroughly boring planet called New Leeds, in the England system. 'Leeds was a very industrial mining planet, full of smog, and filth and noise. There was nothing there for an intelligent young man seeking excitement and adventure and Vykk refused to work in a factory, manual labour wasn't for him. There had been very little decent schools on Vykk's homeworld, and he was taught at home as his parents could not afford the fees of the big schools. However, without the proper education, there was no chance of Vykk being accepted into the Imperial Space Academy. Vykk would dearly love to become an Imperial Officer, to be respected and well known, having adventures, fighting off pirates, discovering new planets, having fun, making friends and wearing the sleek Imperial uniform with pride.

He knew only the highest scoring cadets were accepted, and he couldn't learn what he needed to on Leeds, so when he was 18, he bought a passage off New Leeds on a rust-bucket of a bulk freighter, called the 'Antwerp Dream' and signed on as a crewmen on the trading ship. It was there that he learned how to fly, both compact shuttles and gigantic trading ships, he learned how to navigate the spacelanes and how to make a profit trading. He studied the advanced maths, galactic history and geography, the cultures of the major alien species, and a little of their languages – all the things he needed to enter the Academy. His mentor, Captain Tal said he was a natural leader, and made Vykk his second in command after only 3 years, teaching him the basic aspects of command. After 3 years, Vykk thought he had learned what he needed to apply and the Academy tutors would handle the rest.

At the young age of 21, he decided to leave the 'Antwerp Dream' and pursue his future among the stars. Tal had been very sad to see him go, but he knew how important his dream was to his young protégé and wouldn't stand in his way. He gave Vykk the best parting gift he could have thought of; Vykk's rightful 40 cut of all their dealings since he had been welcomed aboard the freighter. Vykk had been amazed to find over 3,400,000 credits, enough to buy him his own ship. The 'Swift Thunder' won his heart from the moment he set eyes on her in a dealership on New Liverpool, a planet with an enormous fleet construction yard, that Vykk had travelled to after leaving the Dream. Liverpool was also an industrial planet, and it had reminded Vykk of home. Despite this fact, he didn't give his new ship time to collect dust.

Vykk hated being poor although his parents had endeavoured to make sure that he wanted for nothing. As a result he had grown up with the strong belief that family was something to be valued far beyond personal possessions. Vykk's family were immensely important to him – he knew in that aspect he was very wealthy; surrounded by people who supported, respected and loved him.

Now he had the chance to change his situation, and to make something of himself – a new life among the stars.

The beeping of the ship's computer snapped Vykk out of his revieve – the system check was complete. Everything was running perfectly as he knew it would be, he only ran the test as force of habit, his father had always drummed it into him – if you don't check a system and keep it in repair, it may not work when you desperately need it. Brushing his sandy brown hair out of his eyes, Vykk descended the steps to the cockpit. Double-checking the ship's heading as he entered, Vykk beamed to the ship at large. In another hour he would be landing on the Capital World of the Imperium itself, Manhattan Prime. Home to 50 Million people, (huge compared to the 800,000 that inhabited New Leeds) and a cosmopolitan smattering of alien species too.

Vykk had never been outside his home solar system until now, and now he would be entering a whole new sector, the North American Sector. There would be plenty of time to explore all it had to offer, as the officer's course at the Academy was 4 years. He just couldn't believe that he would soon be a student there, learning new skills and well on the way to fulfilling his dream of becoming a Captain, and commanding his own ship. He'd make hundreds of new friends, protect the innocent and bring justice to evildoers. He would win great honour, both for himself and for his family, win the respect of his peers and the men serving under his command, and make his family ever so proud of him.

Vykk had always been a young man searching for his place in the galaxy, now he felt he had found it.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 – The Challenge

"Good morning Sir": the uniformed young man at the enlistment desk greeting him in a very upper class voice. He was young, Vykk saw, barely older than him and with the rank pips of a 1st year cadet at the Imperial Space Academy. The white cadet's uniform was spotless, the golden pips gleamed. "What can I do for you today Sir" he asked politely.

"I'd like to sign up for the new term at the Academy" Vykk requested.

The cadet's voice showed a lot more enthusiasm now, "Certainly, we always need new Cadets. I'm a member of the Academy myself", he pointed at his pips proudly, "It's a great life, you're going to love it! Anyway, first I need to perform a simple background check, just to check for a criminal record among other things. It ought to be just a formality"

Vykk passed the Cadet supervisor his ID card, which was fed into a slot on the desk. Vykk picked up an enlistment leaflet from the desk and started to flick through it idly whilst he waited. It included some basic tourist information on Manhattan Prime – interested, Vykk read on:

Manhattan Prime

Nicknames – Manhattan, New Earth

Population – 50 million (2370 AD Census)

Founded – 2269 AD

The 1st planet outside the Milky Way galaxy to be settled by Human colonists, the lush, fertile planet of Manhattan Prime was settled by colony ships from the United States in 2269 AD. In the course of 100 years, it grew from a tiny colony, to a bustling, cosmopolitan planet of 50 million people.

Manhattan Prime is the capital planet of the America System and is the seat of the newly established HIA government, making it the capital planet for the entirety of Human Space.

**Stats:**

Very similar to Earth.

3.5 billion years old (earth is 4.5, not as much evolution here. 3 billion?)

M class, uninhabited until settled by Human Colonists. Native species include plants, insects, birds and fish, but no mammals or sentient creatures.

**Important Places:**

Galactic Senate Building, Rosendale Plaza

Kennedy International Spaceport

Embassy Square – Elgarzin Embassy.

Imperial Arena

Galactic News Service Headquarters

Imperial Starfleet HQ, Discovery Square

Imperial Space Academy

Manhattan Prime Fleetyards (in orbit)

Spacestation Alpha (Starbase in orbit run by the Imperial Starfleet) _Vykk remembered seeing the vast starbase as he approached the planet._

University of Manhattan Prime (7th best)

Memorial to valiant Colonists at the site colony ship landed in 2269.

Cadet Supervisor Denning-Smith checked the details on the potential recruit's ID, proclaiming him as one Vykk Dreygo, aged 21 from New Leeds on the outer rim. _Brainless farmboy _he though immediately, _What is the Academy coming to? Have standards sunk so low around here that we're accepting scruffy riff-raff to represent us now? We don't need _his_ sort here._

_I can't just reject him though, technically he's fit for service. But I can give him a hard time, he needs an ID pass from me. No uneducated common filth will represent humanity if I can help it._

Vykk hated long silences, "Is there something wrong?" he asked.

"No, no _Mister_ Dreygo" the Cadet sneered, and Vykk thought he heard an "unfortunately" in the man's voice. _What's going on here?_ Referring to the leaflet Vykk inquired, "This says that Cadets need official Imperial qualifications in Galactic History, Maths, Piloting, Physics, Biology, Chemistry, and Xenology. How are you defining 'official'?"

The Cadet explained gleefully that official qualifications were only gained at a College, and if he couldn't prove that he had sufficient ability in these areas, then he had "no choice" but to turn down Vykk application, and it would be impossible to enter the Academy without an ID pass from the Cadet Supervisor, him. He seemed overjoyed to be able to frustrate Vykk this way, saying that he wasn't worthy to wear the uniform anyway.

Vykk had never heard that the Space Academy was so elitist, so he could only guess that this over-privileged 'gentleman' of a Cadet was unusual at being so hung-up over Vykk's past. Could he help how or where he was born? Vykk knew he needed to persuade this guy to give him a pass, but he also knew he had the skills and the injustice of the supervisor's discrimination stung and burned into him like a white-hot star. _Getting angry will solve nothing_ Vykk thought _I've got to keep my cool._ It wouldn't be easy, but Vykk Dreygo wasn't used to life being easy, (unlike some); he did at least expect it to be fair. _We can't all be born with a small mountain of credits in the bank._

"I _have_ learned these skills, I'm good at them"

"Really? You can't prove that"

"Well let me _try_, give me a test or something and I'll prove it"

Vykk had been thinking of a written paper, but Denning-Smith had other ideas:

"Ok then, I'll give you a pass, if you bring me back a kilo of Vitromine in a week"

Dreygo would need a ship, and a fast one at that to return in that amount of time, and there was little chance of someone like him to be able to afford one. _My father runs half the production factories back home, and I can't even afford a ship like that. _If he managed to raise the money through some means (_probably by begging or stealing it_ the snooty Cadet thought) it was a dangerous and long journey past a major pirate route, and very few people would be able to supply the illicit drug, and they wouldn't sell cheap. _And if he manages to make it back in time,_ Denning-Smith thought triumphantly to himself, _all I have to do is tip off the police and get him caught with the drug! What a wonderful plan; it's foolproof and it makes him think I'm being fair!_

Vykk paled, "That's illegal" he complained.

"Well if you can't do it…"

Trapped in a corner, Vykk cursed the Cadet under his breath. Although he was a bit rough around the edges and roguish, Vykk's heart was in the right place and he'd always tried to stay the right side of the law in the past. This could bring him everything he'd ever dreamed of…or get him locked up for a very long time. Mentally asking for forgiveness, Vykk swallowed his morals and sighed deeply, "I'll do it"

The Cadet smiled nastily, "I'll see you in one week Dreygo!"

Outside the Academy, Vykk struggled to justify the betrayal of his morals, and to digest everything that had just happened to him.

The beauty of the city, with its sparkling streets and shiny, artistic glass buildings emphasised by the glorious sunshine reflecting off them, were all closed to him. He walked unseeing in a random direction, thinking. There was no way around it, what he had agreed to do was wrong. Both Vykk and his parents were strongly against drugs, and Vykk knew that this particular one was especially nasty – it was highly addictive and was known to cause blindness, clinical depression and even heart failure. Ironic, considering the peaceful good feeling that Vitromine users felt whilst under the influence of the drug. Vykk wouldn't dream of trying such things even if he felt tempted by them.

Whilst doing freelance missions for various patrons, he'd often had to hunt down drug smugglers and Vykk thought of it as poetic justice, especially since his younger brother has died after fooling around with drugs. Yes, his parents had good reason for hating the damn things and the filth that spread their curse, tearing families apart. The police had discovered that the drug had been tampered with, the dosage had been almost tripled, and the happy, smiling Emil that Vykk had known had fallen quickly to the addictive disease. He had been only 17 when he died. _Was murdered_, Vykk corrected himself. He got a sudden mental picture of a sneering face, laughing at him, taunting him. _Now you're one of us_ it seemed to taunt and Vykk shuddered at the vividness of the smuggler's face.

"I'm nothing like you!" Vykk yelled, attracting some strange looks as he seemed to be talking to himself. He feared he was wrong though, he _was_ effectively a drug smuggler, he had become his enemy. Vykk hoped whole-heartedly that no-one was hurt by what he had been forced into doing – _Maybe I can burn the stuff or something_ he thought desperately, _Buy it back from that damned Cadet Supervisor, and then destroy it_. He realised that there was little chance of that happened, but it made him feel a little better, at least he wouldn't kill anyone if nobody got to touch the frightful stuff.

Well, he still desperately wanted to fulfil his dreams, and Vykk knew that his parents were behind him in that all the way – they would understand, wouldn't they? He _needed_ that pass which had been refused to him, dangled in front of him to make him do things that were against his very being.

Well he was on a strict time limit; so the earlier he got started the better. Vykk knew that in one way, this was a good way to prove his ability; he would need all his skills to complete this mission. His astro-geography classes would prevent him getting lost on the immense journey between the stars, he'd need every bit of knowledge of the various aliens in the sector, he would need to fly with both great skill and pace to avoid the deadly asteroid belts, numerous pirate bases and to meet his deadline. Even his talent for diplomacy and fast-talking might get him out of a tight spot.

He also needed someone's help on this one, someone who knew where the galaxy's scum lurked and how to find them. There was really only one logical choice…

"Heard the latest?" Christophe asked. He yelled to a portly bartender and ordered another drink in the grubby cantina in the seediest part of town. Vykk ignored him – the short man always annoyed him and managed to wind him up, even if he did have his uses. Christophe Stevenson had a lot of useful contacts in the underground, and tended to know everything that occurred on his home turf. A slimy customer if ever there was one. Vykk looked around the small, dingy place, if he'd been on a mission he would have called for backup before entering a place like this.

To call the lighting less than adequate would be a very generous observation and the windows were grimy, and a sickly green colour, allowing in almost no light at all.

The smell of sweat and a dozen or so 'exotic' beverages was almost overbearing. A thick layer of dust on the bar top gave Vykk an urge to sneeze, and a giant cobweb flapped in one corner as the brisk wind from outside buffeted it. The cool fresh breeze was about the only thing that made the cantina bearable. _Why do I always wind up in places like this?_

Christophe prodded Vykk in the arm, "Hey Dreygo, I'm talkin' to you!"

Vykk faked a smile, "So, you manage to find someone who sells that stuff?"

Christophe smirked, "You're learning Dreygo. I was wondering how long you'd stay so damn innocent; being a goody-goody gets you nowhere. It's a harsh galaxy out there kid, hate to be blunt but not everything is as saintly pure as you'd like.."

Christophe was prone to ramble, and to really rant if you got him onto a subject that he had strong opinions on. Vykk was used to this, and cut through the bluster swiftly. _He's entitled to his delusions, but at least people respect a good person._

"You got no patience Dreygo, you do know that don't ya? Ok, ok, you're contact's a guy named Wade. He runs the underground on Birmingham, and he's in the Vitromine business. I'll bet ya anything that _he_ could sell you some of the stuff, might not be cheap though…"

"You just let me worry about that"

Vykk walked slowly back to the hanger bay where his ship was docked. He noticed dully that it was still as light as ever outside – Manhattan Prime enjoyed 26-hour days.

Vykk knew of Birmingham, it was the only moon of New Leeds, his home. It wasn't settled by Imperial colonists, but by thieves and gangsters, and so had a very bad reputation. It wasn't a place he was looking forward to visiting. Thinking deeply to himself, Vykk set the 'Thunder's course back to the European Sector, and laid himself down for an uneasy night's sleep


End file.
